KARACHI, June 4: The City Council members on Saturday condemned recent killings and demanded removal of provincial government for its failure to maintain law and order in the city and the province. They also said that the local bodies’ elections in the province be held under the supervision of judiciary.

The meeting was presided over by Senior Presiding Officer Muslim Pervez. Members expressed great concern over unsatisfactory law and order situation in the city and said that the murder of Aslam Mujahid and Tahir Jamal were ‘target killings’.

“Law enforcement agencies are helpless before terrorists”, the council members alleged and urged the Corps Commander and the Sindh government to immediately arrest the culprits involved in these killings.

In another resolution, members also condemned bomb blasts at Bari Imam, Madinatul Ilm and burning of workers in a fast-food restaurant. The council members expressed concern over such incidents.

They asked the Sindh home minister to quit his office.

Council members Abdul Hafeez, Ishaq Khan, Mohammad Ahmed Parekh, Nazir Sajid, Siddique Rathore, Faiz-un-Nisa, Micheal Javed, Qazi Sidruddin, Raana Advocate, Jaferul Hasan, Engineer Abdul Aziz, Jumman Darawan, Abdul Razaq Sajid, Najmi Alam, Shamim Mumtaz, Khalid Khan, Kishwar Zaman and Rehana Afroze spoke.

Senior Presiding Officer Muslim Pervez said: “We should struggle to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions, so that they could perform their duties independently without inference of other departments.”

“The Election Commission should be strengthened, so it could hold the the coming local bodies’ elections independently and in a transparnt manner,” he said.

Earlier, in a resolution regarding budget, council members sent the budget draft for year 2005-06 to the city government, asking it to give detailed information, with names of projects, like roads, parks, water supply lines etc, mentioned in civic amenities.

The members also recommended that all suggestions of the members be incorporated in the budget draft.

The council asked the city government submit budget in the council on Tuesday (June 7). The meeting was adjourned to Monday at 11am. — PPI